While contrary to Ethiopia's conservative religious ideals, a new law there makes access to abortions easier and has been one way the government has tried to save women’s lives. Before the law, a third of all maternal deaths in the country were from botched abortions.

Tens of thousands of people in South Sudan are spending New Year's Day hiding in the bush as violence spreads across the country. A political squabble has degenerated into ethnic clashes. But there is some hope as envoys have arrived in neighboring Ethiopia to try to thrash out a peace deal.

The Beat Making Lab organizers have never returned to the place where they held their lab. This week, though, they're back in Ethiopia, presenting what they learned with the lab and reconnecting with the beat-makers they worked with.

The Beat Making Lab's trip to Ethiopia was about more than helping people make music. It was about using music to help understand the health issues on the minds of people in Addis Ababa and elsewhere in Ethiopia.

Samy Ben Redjeb is a former flight attendant in Frankfurt who spent years flying to African countries, collecting music. That collection forms the basis of his record label, Analog Africa. His latest compilation CD is "Afrobeat Airways 2."

If you've ever wondered what the world sounds like, the Beat Making Lab wants to help you find out. Armed with a few laptops and a lifetime of music-making experience, the two men behind the project are bringing community music labs to communities all over the world.

Ethiopia saw a number of its people leave the country decades ago, when a communist government took power. Now, with the country having achieved stability, and the country trending upward, many emigrants are returning home. And they're bringing business and economic success with them.

Samy Ben Redjeb is a former flight attendant in Frankfurt who spent years flying to African countries, collecting music. That collection forms the basis of his record label, Analog Africa. His latest compilation CD is "Afrobeat Airways 2."

The Beat Making Lab organizers have never returned to the place where they held their lab. This week, though, they're back in Ethiopia, presenting what they learned with the lab and reconnecting with the beat-makers they worked with.

If you've ever wondered what the world sounds like, the Beat Making Lab wants to help you find out. Armed with a few laptops and a lifetime of music-making experience, the two men behind the project are bringing community music labs to communities all over the world.

In 1953, the United States awarded a Silver Star for gallantry to a young Ethiopian soldier. Captain Mamo Habtewold distinguished himself in the Korean War while his battalion served alongside the US army.

Politics and music have not always mixed well in Ethiopia. But governments change -- and the music survives, and evolves. A fine example is a new project that highlights the work of Ethiopian musicians today.

Famine has swept through much of Ethiopia in the past year, but a new project will see a Saudi Arabian country convert one of the most fertile areas to produce rice for export. The idea is it's better to have people employed and making money.

Samy Ben Redjeb is a former flight attendant in Frankfurt who spent years flying to African countries, collecting music. That collection forms the basis of his record label, Analog Africa. His latest compilation CD is "Afrobeat Airways 2."

While contrary to Ethiopia's conservative religious ideals, a new law there makes access to abortions easier and has been one way the government has tried to save women’s lives. Before the law, a third of all maternal deaths in the country were from botched abortions.

If you've ever wondered what the world sounds like, the Beat Making Lab wants to help you find out. Armed with a few laptops and a lifetime of music-making experience, the two men behind the project are bringing community music labs to communities all over the world.

The Beat Making Lab's trip to Ethiopia was about more than helping people make music. It was about using music to help understand the health issues on the minds of people in Addis Ababa and elsewhere in Ethiopia.

The Beat Making Lab organizers have never returned to the place where they held their lab. This week, though, they're back in Ethiopia, presenting what they learned with the lab and reconnecting with the beat-makers they worked with.

If all goes as planned, Haiti, yes North America's Haiti, will become the latest member of the African Union sometime in January. Haiti and Africa share a sense of history, and African countries stepped up in the wake of Haiti's earthquake, which has led some to conclude the time is right to formalize their ties.

A Saudi Arabian company has leased tens of thousands of acres in Ethiopia to grow rice for export. The Ethiopian government says it will help provide food security for its citizens but some who live in the region say they're not seeing any benefits.

Tens of thousands of people in South Sudan are spending New Year's Day hiding in the bush as violence spreads across the country. A political squabble has degenerated into ethnic clashes. But there is some hope as envoys have arrived in neighboring Ethiopia to try to thrash out a peace deal.